Journal, Cabinet, Multilingual Parlour, Untranslated Conference Room, Repository of Erudite Pastimes, even a Gymnasium for the Polemist and the Humorist; Consacrated to Oddities and Facts Concerning Peculiarities of Theatrical Amusements related to the Circus, Conjuring, Comedy etc.; their Connections with Fine Arts; the Uncovering the Curiosities of their Past, and the Critical and Hopefully Provocative Account of what of Interest is Remaining of their Uncertain Present. Profusely Illustrated.

Followers

Monday, December 03, 2007

Sunday Gallery: Big top Barbarellas

In the postwar Italy, the Vatican influence was balanced by different entertainments: the the “avanspettacolo” burlesque revues; the innocent sexy movies; or illustrated pulp adult fairy tales .

This atmosphere rooted some of the world’s greatest movie poster illustrators, as Marcello Colizzi and Renato Casaro, later celebrated for materializing spaghetti-western and Hollywood classics. Those artists celebrated female body in a graphic burlesque school, that soon landed under the big top.

In the early 70s, erotic pulp was spreading from newsstands windows and cinema marquees. So, italian circus impresarios left behind clown portraits, candid horses and smiling majorettes.On the exemple of the movies, the sawdust posters got spicy: roaring wild beasts merged with space-age whip-equipped virgins ; the italian imagery of the circus became symbolized by audacious jungle amazon women; stretched giant legs were absurdly surrounded by skating penguins, and indian squaws promenaded on elephants.

No comments:

Raffaele De Ritis

Impostor of the international stage arts, he is said out from a noble estinguished family of Southern Italy. From childhood he attempted escapes to the strolling life. Without refusing an academic theatrical education in Rome and Paris, he began to earn his life in the frequentation of carny barkers, crocodile hypnotists, quick-change virtuosos, aerialists, actors, ballet étoiles.Nobody knows why and when producers began trusting in his directorial services, spreading his signature around the globe: from Savary, Brachetti, or Larible; to American sanctuaries as Big Apple Circus or Cirque du Soleil. It is in his hands that Feld dared to put the concept of Barnum’s Kaleidoscape; and the Princess Grace Theatre of Monte Carlo or Spoleto Festival trusted for magic events or Shakespeare stagings.He wrote books and dictionaries about theatre, circus and magic; his signature infestated in the last 20 years major international circus periodicals. Mentalism, training of escapologists, academic lecturing on silent movies are other ways to assure his existence besides writing and directing.Mixing forgotten Martini recipes and tracking theatrical memorabilia are his beloved pastimes.